My wife is a special education teacher's aide.
My son is a high school English teacher.
There is no question that I do what I do, at least in part, because I spent eight years under the fairly firm tutelage of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Yes, I can diagram a sentence like nobody's business.
This newspaper has, from time to time, been accused of being antagonistic to teachers, in particular when it comes to what they get paid.
It is a fine line, trying to balance the bottom line - which inevitably comes out of taxpayers' wallets - and what teachers should be paid.
I don't think I really understood what goes into the classroom until my son moved away from home after graduating from college and starting his teaching career in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
When he came home for the holidays, one of the first things he told us that, living where we do, we have a tendency to not understand what real struggle is like, and the conditions some kids live in - and struggle with - every day.
Those kids bring those struggles to school with them every day.
I think it was the hardest year of my son's life.
A few years ago, after we rolled out the All-Delco Hi-Q team and the annual honors for students at the Partners In Education gala, Franklin Mint guru John Unangst again approached me with another idea.
It was John and Harry Jamison, then head of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, who first came to me and asked if the newspaper would be interested in extending out All-Delco brand, with the selection of an All-Delco Hi-Q team.
John wanted to expand this very special night by honoring educators.
Thus was born the Excellence in Teaching awards.
Each year 19 educators from across the county are selected for the honors.
After we presented the 21 All-Delco Hi-Q team winners - one from each competing squad - on Sunday, we followed that up Monday with the 19 Excellence in Teaching winners.
We run a snapshot of each winner, some biographical information, and a feature story encapsulizing their stories.
This year we focused on Cheryl Scartozzi, a teacher at St. James Regional Catholic School.
She gave a great description of a teacher, and a reminder that while education is the backbone, good teachers have to literally be a jack-of-all-trades.
"You have to do it all," Scartozzi said. "Sometimes you're a nurse, sometimes you're a counselor, sometimes you're a teacher."
Sounds about right.
Our congratulations to this year's winners.
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